Artwork
Still Life with Fruit
Still Life with Fruit is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist George Forster. It dates from 1870 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: G. Forster 1870
About this work
A plain wooden bowl holds ripe gooseberries, some split open to show their green insides, set on a bare table in soft light. Forster painted it in 1870, when fruit still lifes were popular. Thin glazes keep the colors fresh and the highlights crisp.
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a modest still-life composition centered on a bowl filled with gooseberries, the fruit rendered in careful oil tones.
The painting presents a modest still-life composition centered on a bowl filled with gooseberries, the fruit rendered in careful oil tones. As a still-life by George Forster, the work exemplifies the genre's focus on ordinary edible subjects, here emphasizing the texture and color of the berries within a simple vessel. The depiction of fruit aligns with traditional iconographic interests in abundance and the fleeting nature of seasonal produce, though the artist's intent is conveyed through the formal treatment of light and surface rather than explicit allegory.
The piece entered the National Gallery of Art's collection in 2018 after its acquisition at auction and subsequent gift.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil on canvas, a standard support for Forster's still-life practice. The modest scale of the canvas, measuring 20.32 cm in height by 25.4 cm in width, situates the painting within the intimate cabinet-picture tradition of late nineteenth-century still life. Forster's handling of the oil medium is directed toward the depiction of fruit, with the composition organized around a bowl of gooseberries.
The painting is classified as a still life and belongs to the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having entered the institution in 2018 as a gift. No specific condition report is recorded in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Still Life with Fruit / Gooseberries in a Bowl is an oil on canvas painting by George Forster dated 1870, measuring 20.32 cm by 25.4 cm. The work originated in a private collection and was sold at Sotheby's, New York, on 29 November 1995, where Howard Godel acquired it on behalf of William H. (1929–2020) and Abigail Booth Gerdts of New York. In 2018 the painting was gifted to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains. No accession number is specified in the cited sources.
Overview
George Forster's 1870 oil painting, Still Life with Fruit / Gooseberries in a Bowl, presents a humble arrangement of ripe gooseberries contained within a wooden vessel. The composition emphasizes a quiet domestic scene, characteristic of the still life genre popular during the period. The artist's attention to detail captures the subtle textures and forms of the fruit, some of which are depicted split open.
Context
Created in 1870, this painting belongs to a period when still life compositions held significant appeal for artists and patrons alike. The genre provided an opportunity for detailed study of everyday objects and the interplay of light and shadow. Forster's choice of a modest subject like gooseberries reflects a broader artistic trend towards depicting the beauty found in ordinary domestic scenes.
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